The surroundings of Forlì have been inhabited since thePaleolithic: a site, Ca' Belvedere ofMonte Poggiolo, has revealed thousands of chipped flints in strata dated 800,000 years before the present era, which indicates a flint-knapping industry producing sharp-edged tools in a pre-Acheulean phase of the Paleolithic.
Forlì was founded after the Roman conquest of the remainingGallic villages, about the time theVia Aemilia was built. With no clear evidence, the exact date this occurred is still under debate, though some historians believe that the first settlement of the ancient Roman Forum was built in approximately 188 BC by consulGaius Livius Salinator (the same that foughtHasdrubal Barca and vanquished him at the banks of theMetaurus River in 207 BC), who gave it the Latin nameForum Livii, meaning "the place of thegensLivia". Others argue the town may have been founded later, during the time ofJulius Caesar.[4] In 88 BC, the city was destroyed during the civil wars ofGaius Marius andSulla, but later rebuilt by the praetor Livius Clodius.[5]
By the 9th century the commune had taken control from its bishops, and Forlì was established as an independent Italian city-state, alongside the othercommunes that signalled the first revival of urban life in Italy. Forlì became a republic for the first time in 889. At this time the city was allied with the Ghibelline factions in the medieval struggles between theGuelphs and Ghibellines, partly as a means of preserving its independence – and the city supported all theHoly Roman Emperors in their campaigns in Italy.[4]
Local competition was involved in the loyalties: in 1241, duringFrederick II's struggles withPope Gregory IX the people of Forlì offered their support to Frederick II during the capture of the rival city,Faenza, and in gratitude, they were granted an addition to their coat of arms – theHohenstaufen eagle.[4]
With the collapse of Hohenstaufen power in 1257, imperial lieutenantGuido I da Montefeltro was forced to take refuge in Forlì, the only remaining Ghibelline stronghold in Italy. He accepted the position ofcapitano del popolo ("Captain of the People") and led Forlì to notable victories: against theBolognesi at the Ponte di San Proculo, on 15 June 1275;[6] against a Guelph allied force, includingFlorentine troops, atCivitella on 14 November 1276; and at Forlì itself against a powerful French contingent sent byPope Martin IV, on 15 May 1282, in a battle cited byDante Alighieri (who was hosted in the city in 1303 byScarpetta Ordelaffi),Inferno 27. In 1282, Forlì's forces were led by Guido da Montefeltro, while the French were underJean d'Eppe. TheastrologerGuido Bonatti (advisor ofEmperor Frederick II) was one of his advisors.
The following year the city's exhausted Senate was forced to cede to papal power and asked Guido to take his leave. The commune soon submitted to a localcondottiere rather than accept a representative of direct papal control, andSimone Mestaguerra had himself proclaimedLord of Forlì. He did not succeed in leaving the new signory peacefully to an heir, however, and Forlì passed toMaghinardo Pagano, then toUguccione della Faggiuola (1297), and to others, until in 1302 theOrdelaffi came into power.
Local factions with papal support ousted the family in 1327–29 and again in 1359–75, and at other turns of events the bishops were expelled by the Ordelaffi. Until theRenaissance the Ordelaffi strived to maintain the possession of the city and its countryside, especially against Papal attempts to assert back their authority. Often civil wars between members of the family occurred. They also fought ascondottieri for other states to earn themselves money to protect or embellish Forlì.
The most renowned of the Ordelaffi wasPino III, who held the Signiory of Forlì from 1466 to 1480. Pino was a ruthless lord; nevertheless he enriched the city with new walls and buildings and was a sponsor of the arts. When he died aged 40, under suspicion of poisoning, the situation of Forlì was weakened as factions of Ordelaffi fought one another, untilPope Sixtus IV claimed the signory for his nephewGirolamo Riario. Riario was married toCaterina Sforza, the indomitableLady of Forlì whose name is associated with the city's last independent history. Forlì was seized in 1488 by theVisconti and in 1499 byCesare Borgia, after whose death it became more directly subject to the pope than ever before (apart from a short-lived return of the Ordelaffi in 1503–1504).[4]
In June 1796, during theFrench Revolution,Jacobin French troops entered the city – withNapoleon arriving on 4 February 1797. The French General recruited local officials and soldiers, resulting in political turmoil between 1820 and 1830, with risings in 1821 – including the revolutionary movement of theCarbonari in 1831 and 1848.[4]Napoléon Louis Bonaparte,Napoleon I's nephew who was involved with the Carbonari, died there in 1831.
In the 19th century, Forlì was part of theItalian unification (or "the Risorgimento"), a political and social movement that agglomerated the different states of theItalian Peninsula into the single state ofItaly. The citizens of Forlì were particularly inspired by military figureGiuseppe Garibaldi, who at this time was a commander. However, the city and its farmers had difficulty adapting to agrarian reform under the unification, thus lending rise to republican and socialist parties.[4]
Church and convent of the Corpus Domini, photograph byPaolo Monti, 1971. Fondo Paolo Monti,BEIC.
Forlì participated considerably duringWorld War I, resulting in it being awarded the "Fulcieri Paolucci De' Calboli [it]" gold medal. Afterwards in the 1920s,Benito Mussolini became actively involved in the local politics, before becoming dictator of Italy – a situation that remained for 20 years before the start ofWorld War II. The war left the city with destroyed monuments and artistic losses, such as theChurch of San Biagio [it], which included frescoes byMelozzo da Forlì. After the war, however, the city experienced a quick economic recovery, entering a new stage of democratic life.[4]
Forlì is characterized by hot and sunny summers, with temperatures that can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) and even reach 40 °C (104 °F) during the hottest weeks of the year.
Winters are cool and moist, with frequent fog. Occasionally the warmSirocco wind blows from the south, bringing warmer temperatures for brief periods.
Forlì is a prosperous agricultural and industrial centre, with manufacture primarily focused onsilk,rayon, clothing, machinery, metals, and household appliances. In the city also has seat theFerretti Group, one of the most famous producers of yachts.
Abbey of San MercurialePalazzo MunicipalePorta Schiavonia
Forlì is the location of various buildings of architectural, artistic and historical significance, that include frescoes as part of their decorations. At the heart of the city sits thePiazza Aurelio Saffi, which includes a statue of Italian politicianAurelio Saffi – who was an important figure in the radical republican current within theRisorgimento movement, headed byGiuseppe Mazzini in the 19th century. The Piazza Saffi also includes theAbbey of San Mercuriale (named afterSaint Mercurialis, a bishop of the city who died in the 5th century), which is the main religious building in the city; and contains the famed Sepulchre ofBarbara Manfredi.[9] Also of note is theDominican Church of San Giacomo Apostolo; better known as the Church of San Domenico – a late medieval church built in the 13th century in the southern part of the town.
Other medieval buildings include the Rocca di Ravaldino, a fortress enlarged in the 14th century by theOrdelaffi andGil de Albornoz, and later in the 15th century.
The city hosts thePalazzo Hercolani, with decorations dating from the 19th century; containing the artworkLa Beata Vergine del Fuoco con i Santi Mercuriale, Pellegrino, Marcolino e Valeriano by Italian painterPompeo Randi [it]. ThePalazzo del Podestà [it] is a civic building which was frescoed byAdolfo de Carolis in the 20th century.
Forlì has parks located ingreen areas, including theParco della Resistenza ("Resistance Park") city park, and theParco di Via Dragoni – which provides performance facilities alongside standard amenities. TheTeatro Diego Fabbri is a theatre which opened in September 2000.
Landing field in Villafranca di Forlì, with hamlet in the background
Villafranca di Forlì is a hamlet which a dependency of the municipality of Forlì, located on the north side of the main town, and spans over a territory sided on the west side by theRiver Montone. The hamlet was the birthplace ofBenito Mussolini's mother, Rosa.[10]
Anaerodrome, with a runway approximately 800 metres (2,600 ft) long and 29 metres (95 ft) wide, is close to the hamlet; it is used as a landing field for ULM andR/C model aircraft. It is the seat of the Flight SchoolAli Soccorso belonging to theCivil Defence.[11]This recreational aerodrome is complementary to Forlì's main airport, south of the city.
Forlì railway station is on the Bologna–Ancona line. Opened for use in 1926, it replaced the original station, which had been in use since 1861. Thepassenger building of the original station still stands, about 100 metres (330 ft) west of the present station.
Forlì Airport was closed on 29 March 2013 due to bankruptcy of the company that ran it. Operations resumed at the airport on 29 October 2020.[12] The nearest airports areRimini Fellini Airport, located 58 km (36 mi) south east,Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, located 79 km (49 mi) north west andFlorence Airport, located 174 km (108 mi) south east of Forlì.
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